


Straight on 'till morning.

by Durante243



Series: Big Damn Hunters 'verse [1]
Category: Firefly, Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Implied Castiel/Dean Winchester, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 23:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Durante243/pseuds/Durante243
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mal didn't like complications. And the man who appeared half dead in his cargo bay definitely qualified as a complication. The only reason he rented out his shuttle to the two Winchesters was cause he didn't know how complicated they were. But River knew, and maybe she liked it a little too much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Straight on 'till morning.

**Author's Note:**

> a glimpse from the Big Damn Hunters 'verse. 
> 
> "Once the apocalypse ended Sam and Dean found they just kept going. Crowley told them that Hell didn't want them and Heaven was afraid they'd take over, Cas didn't exactly disagree. Soon enough humans made it to the stars and the world as they knew it ended, but the 'verse kept spinning; and the Winchesters had to learn to spin with it."

Simon walked out of the infirmary and shut the doors behind him, leaning his head up against the door with a sigh. 

The surgery would have been intense without Dean in the room, but was ten times worse with the barely contained desperation rolling off the gunman. Simon was too concentrated at first to notice it, until he realized Dean’s movements that were usually smooth and nonchalant in the face of blood were too jagged and startling. Simon was sure Mal had questions for the man, but the doctor didn't have it in his heart to tear him away. He much preferred to let Mal be the villain. Simon nodded taking comfort from the cold steel of the door and turned around. 

“He’s stable.” The doctor spoke to the waiting room. “Well, as stable as can be expected under these conditions.” Simon glanced at Sam, “I can’t work miracles. He’s unconscious now, he may or may not wake up.” Sam nodded and turned to leave. 

“Man Mountain, don't ya think you got some questions to answer?” Mal asked, passive aggressively Simon noted, never a good sign. 

Sam sighed, “He’s… family.”

Mal’s eyes stared a hole into Sam’s back, but the big man didn't seem to notice, or care.

“She says he says, but she could be lying to me, and he could be lying to her, so I can’t believe her, even if I could believe her.” River commented to the air. Sam finally reacted pulling as far away from River as the room would allow, it still didn't seem far enough for him. Once again Simon wondered why Sam was so afraid of his sister, the man hunted monsters for god’s sake!

“What was that River? Something about lying?” Mal’s voice dripped threats. 

“I’m not lying to you captain.”

“That’s what it sounds like from here.” Zoe commented coldly. 

“Structures built on weak foundations may appear stable until inevitable demise.” River clarified. If you could call it that. 

“You think your clever don't you?” Sam glared at River; perhaps the third time Simon had ever seen him directly acknowledge her. “Its not a lie dipshit, take into account socio-linguistic shifts, cultural normativity, and understand relative meaning versus static definition and maybe you can get your head out of your ass long enough to keep me from getting shot.”

“’Scuse me? What have we got three prissys on this boat?” Jayne.

Sam just sighed the sigh of the long suffering; “Cas isn’t related to us by blood, but he’s still family.”

“And that's how you treat family?”

“What?”

“We’ve been out of port three days. Either he’s been bleeding to death for three days or…”

Simon spoke up, “The wounds are recent, less than 2 hours old.”

Sam was confused, “You think me, or dean did this?”

“You telling me he did it to himself?”

“No! No. I don't know what happened but…”

“Enough. I don't give a pigu who he is, how did he almost die on my ship three days into the black?”

Sam’s eyes widened in realization, “oh! He didn't.”

“What?”

Sam shook his head; “he wasn't on the ship when he was attacked.”

“Oh and he just randomly teleported onto my ship for safety.” Mal commented incredulously.

“Am I gonna be shot if I say yes?” Sam joked. 

“Maybe. I can take being lied to, it comes with my line a work, but I usually like to be able to at least believe the lies.” 

“Words are not a recognizable causation of spontaneous combustion of trousers.” River commented from her corner, staring at a wall with a smirk. The room fell silent than Sam started laughing loudly, River turned her head slightly to look at him sideways, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge.”

“Wanna run that by me one more time, River?”

“She saying you is being stupid.” Sam volunteered, grinning at Mal’s scowl. “Yes Mal, Cas randomly appeared on this ship out of thin air, probably with the last of his strength. He’s not human. Teleportation is something he can do. And does. Often, with great annoyance.”

“That's.. not possible.” Mal was confused; everything about Sam told him he was sincere but teleportation? Besides, Cas certainly looked human. 

“Conscientious stupidity…” Simon said thoughtfully. “Regardless of whether or not I believe you, if Cass isn’t… human maybe I required that information before I began treatment.” 

Sam’s grin disappeared, his eyes found the floor and he shrugged. “Doubt it would have made any difference. He’s… he’s human enough, right now, to make no difference medically.”

“So he’s not human but also human.” Simon was not convinced. Sam just shrugged.

“You gonna say anything believable boy?” Mal asked.

“You asked for the truth captain, if you wanted believable I would have lied.”

“What kind of non-human?” it was a dark voice from the stare well, and ominous whisper that raised the hairs on the back of Simon’s neck. JC always seemed a bit dangerous, but right now, as he sat in the non-existent shadows of the stair well the babysitter appeared downright lethal. 

“What you can’t tell?” Sam asked back.

JC hissed. Actually hissed. Like a snake. “He smells human enough. He bleeds human enough. But he does not smell like Asuras and he did teleport onto this ship.”

“You believe that?” Zoe asked 

“Don't need to,” JC responded tapping his nose, “I can smell everything on this ship. He was not here until 2 hours ago. He appeared with the smell of mechanics oil and cornmeal around him. I’d say factory, on… Persephone.” Zoe stared at him. The crew stared at him. “Persephone’s unique terra form atmosphere mixes with hover exhausted to create a distinctive smell.”

“I know vamps have a keen sense of smell, but… shit.” Sam said astonished. “What is an asuras?”

“Thought you were the monster expert.” Jayne commented 

“Hunters are some of the most paranoid, whacked out, anti-social, gun toting alcoholics I’ve ever meet. Needless to say there’s no yearly meeting of what is this monster, what do we call it and how do we gank it.”

“There’d be no hunters left.” River commented, coloring on her hand. She glanced up at Sam to see she had his attention, and then leaned over, covering her eyes with her hands. On the back of her hands were drawn solid black eyes. “Asuras.” She stated.

Demons, Sam realized. It surprised him to think JC could smell a demon in a meat suit. He looked up to find JC’s eyes on him and he knew. JC could smell demon on Sam, JC was on guard, but waiting. “No,” Sam said, a little breathless, “ Not an asuras.”

“Asura is singular.” River provided. 

“What,” JC paused to emphasize his point, “is he?”

“Nothing that will harm us.”

“Dear child, I would be hard press to find even a human whelp who could accomplish that. WHAT is he?”

“Leave it alone.”

“Why don't you wish to speak?”

“Leave it.”

“There are too few species I trust not to be tempted by human flesh child, my own is not included. He is not human. He is not asura, there is nothing else that does not come by human flesh… benevolently.”

Sam struggled for words. “He is.. he is.. the counterpoint to asura. Above the below?” Sam wasn't about to use the term ‘angel’ in a room with more than one lost Christian.

JC hissed in surprise, “Devas do not exist.”

“The unicorns protest your exsist-ilism. Contentious stupidity.” River helped, playing peek-a-boo with herself. 

“Unicorns? Dear god, tell me that's not a thing. “ JC looked pleadingly at Sam who had thrown back his head to laugh. Every time he looked back at JC’s slowly growing smirk he began laughing again. 

“No JC, you’re safe. Unicorns are not a thing. At least, they’ve never been a thing in my lifetime. I didn't believe in dragons either till I saw one.”

JC’s smile disappeared, “Dragons?!”

“Believe me. They’re not worth the hype, or the legwork to gank. Talk about expenses. They’re as good as extinct. Anyone that's not, don't cross. It’s survived too long to piss off now.”

“Deva…” JC said wonderingly. “This explanation is difficult to believe. Even when the evidence agrees with you… I entrust him to your care for now.” With that JC left. 

“And what in the verse is a Deva? An Asura?” Jayne asked.

“A deva is a being that's supposed to fight… the chaos.” 

“Chaos?”

River turned to Jayne with her black eyed hands, “Asura.” 

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Riiiiiiiiight…”

River leaned in close; “They can kill you with their mind.”

“They can? Like for real?” Jayne asked getting Sam’s wandering attention. 

“Yeah, but they really prefer not to.”

“Oh. That’s good.”

“Don’t misunderstand me. They prefer not to, not cause they don't want you to die, they simply want you to die as slowly and painfully as possible.” 

“Now see, that's good to know. I see any black eyed hudan I’ll pump ‘em full of lead.” 

“Try salt. More effective.”

“Salt?”

“Hunters: fighting evil with condiments since the great flood.”

……..

 

 

The room had cleared. Sam plunked down to sit next to Zoe. While she was diligently cleaning a gun in the common room, it didn't take a genius to figure out she was actually on watch over Cas and Dean,

“Hey.”

Zoe simply looked at him. Sam frowned. 

“Um.” Sam sat. Zoe gave him a long look and went back to cleaning her gun. She could tell by looking at him that Sam was one of those people who liked talking, thought it made the world a better place. 

“I don't know a lot about you or the.. ah .. captain.” Sam started when Zoe didn't appear to care. “But I…” He knew what he was trying to say, it was just hard to say it when Lucifer was reaching out to lick Zoe’s ear. Sam hid his face in his hands, better to ignore the ghost of the Morning Star. 

“We deal with the weird. Its our job, always has been, always will be. Its something that's bred so far into us I’d be hard pressed to imagine a life where I didn't salt my doors and windows.”

“aw common Sammie, where’s that ol’ stick it to fate spiel you were so good at?!” Lucifer’s voice spoke right next to his ear. Sam had a moment of panic, but didn't raise his head. Didn't move. Just thought ‘you aren’t real, you aren’t real, you aren’t real’. It’d work one of these days. 

“You going somewhere with this son?” Zoe asked. When Sam looked up he saw worry and caution in her eyes, like he might just turn rabid at any second. Instead of alienating him, her caution made him feel better. Finally, finally! Someone who agreed that he might just be dangerous to those around him. 

“Well it’s just that when we find something is weird, it means its extra weird. Ya know? And Cas, well Cas…”

“Was a regular planet of the apes?” thank heaven Lucifer had retreated across the room, leaning against the stairs.

“Can we start calling him Tarzan?” River asked.

Sam startled. He hadn’t seen her there sitting at the top of the stairs, but he was so done with her shit. 

“Calling who Tarzan, sweetie?” Zoe asked.

“He tripped and was raised by mud monkeys.” River clarified. Dangling a hand down the side of the stair, innocently not in Lucifer’s hair. 

Lucifer smiled up at River, a wide inviting smile. “Ya know, you’re a quick study.”

“I’m not the morning star, but I’m very bright. They call me ‘never have I ever’. I’m the second star to the…”

There was silence. Zoe had stopped cleaning. “Right.” She said slowly, “River, why don't you go see if Kaylee needs any help cooking dinner?”

“I would rather stay with the prisoner.”

“Prisoner?” Zoe repeated, not surprised, but pretending like she wasn't guarding the door with a gun. 

“its all part and parcel of the gig.” River volunteered matter of factly, and for once Sam was satisfied to see Lucifer was also confused. River leaned forward conspiratorially, and Sam stiffened as he saw her whisper into Lucifer’s ear. “Phenomenal Cosmic Powers!”

Sam went cold as Lucifer started laughing out loud, a deep ringing laugh that put every Marvel villain to shame. River smiled very proud of herself. “Itty Bitty living spaceQ” She finished looking at Sam, the living space in question.

Zoe stared at River. Sam Stared at Lucifer. Done. He was so done. It was bad enough to have Lucifer in his head tormenting him without other people chatting the ghost of the fallen angel. “She’s not talking about Cas.” He explained and left, refusing to call it storming off or admit to hiding in his room.

**Author's Note:**

> )0(  
> This started with me shipping Sam/river and you know at the end of this? I ship hallucifer/River, she was really just using Sam to get to him.


End file.
